Cistern



' Nov. 6, 1923.

J. P. PROBST CISTERN Filed Feb. 23. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet .1

. ATTORNEYS.

J. P. PROBST Nov. "6,, 1923.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 II I I I I I II I II I I I I I I II I I I l I l I II I I I I I III Filed Feb. 25, 1922 Z I I I E I l I I I l I l I I I I I l I l I III I I l I I I I I l I l I I Patented Nov. 3, 1923.

JOHN P. Przossr, or MARION, or-rro.

, GISTERN.

Application filed February 523, 1922. Serial 30.5%

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, J OHNl Pnoesr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marion, in the county of Marion and State-of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cisterns, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in cisterns in which rain water is received from the roofs of houses and buildings. 7

The prime object of the invention is to prevent the inflow of the water into the cistern from stirring up the sediment and dirt which collect at the bottom of the cistern, a prevailing objection to the use of cisterns being that sediment or dirt pass from the cistern into the supply pipesleading to the houses or buildings.

This object is accomplished by placing within existing cisterns a sub-cistern or supplemental vessel, or by building new cisterns in the form of a main vessel and a supplemental vessel within it, so that the water is received from the down spout first into the sub-cistern or supplemental vessel from which it flows over a wide margin compared with the area of the inlet. In this way the speed of the incoming water is reduced and it simply overflows the margins of the subcistern or supplemental vessel, thence into the main cistern without violently agitating the contents of the latter.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a cis-,

tern constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the supplemental cistern alone;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the same on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is another sectional view on the line 4-& of Fig. 2, the shell of the supplemental cistern being sectioned and the supply conduit and discharge pipe in elevation.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view showing the connection between the supplemental cistern and the discharge pipe.

111i carrying out my invention 1 construct a cistern in any usual and approved manner. as of brick or cement, as shown at l, and locate the same under ground in a common manner. If such a cistern is already erected or in use I build or place within it my supplemental cistern, or if the whole structure is to be erectcdat once I build the ,cistern proper and at the same time also build the supplemental cistern or otherwise place it in the main cistern. In either event I have a main cistern 1 and supplemental cistern 2.

The main cistern has the usual manhole indicated'at 3 with a convenient cover, such" as shown at l. Into this cistern' leads a supply' pipe 5 which connects with a down i l ni i "1 i ftfata 1311??? his??? it 215353552232;

. D into the supplemental cistern. A t imble 8, preferably made of cast iron, receives or makes connection wit-lithe conduit 7 and is mounted on and fitted to the supplemental features which characterize the supplemental cistern it will be observed from Fig. 2 thatit is widened out, as shown at 13. The wallsslopedownwardly and inwardly from the margin after the fashion of a bowl. It

will be noted that the len th of the overflow line, the upper edge or" the enlarged portion, is very much greater than the circular dimension or" the inflow for the water. In this way the water is allowed to spread out, as it were, so that its velocity of discharge from the supplemental cistern is very slow compared 'ith the velocity of the inflow of the water. In this way the rush of the water is eliminated and by the action of the gentle overflow the sediment which has gathered in the bottom of the main cistern will be disturbed little or none. In this way Inmke a broad provision for drawing oil the water in a clear state notwithstanding that sediment and dirt wil inevitably gathe in the bottom of the main cistern.

The supplemental cistern is further characterized. by an, inwardly extended portion 13 as seen best in l. ing into this vessel contacts with this inwardly extended portion and thereby has The .water coniits velocity broken and is caused to sweep over this curvature, resulting in an even and smooth overflow around the entire periphery of the supplemental cistern. This portion 13 1 term a water deflecting surface.

And then T supplement this manner of getting clear water b r the several devices now to be i'nentioned with reference to the mode of drawing the water from the cistern.

Along the margin of the supplemental. cistern I form projections 1 spaced apart so that any floating objects on the water, when the water line is slightly above the top line ot the sup 'ilemental cistern, will be obstructed and prevented from flowing into the supplemental cistern as the water line lowers from point to point.

Again, when the water line shall have dropped below the upper margin of the supplemental cistern the supply from the main cistern to the supplemental will be through the opposite passages 15, formed between an outer skirt l6 and the part 16 of the wall of the supplemental cistern. The skirt projects below the upper edge of this wall so that the re-entering water-that which flows from the main into the supplemental cisternmust pass below this skirt and thence rise upward and pour over the wall 16 whereby such re-entering water is thoroughly skimmed of floating particles.

Referring now to the house supply pipe by which the water is delivered from the cistern to the places of use it will be seen that l have connected such pipe, 18, to the supplemental cistern. See Fig. 5 in particu lar. Any means of forming this connection may be employed, such as a bushing 19 screwed into an opening in the wall and adapted to receive a section of the pipe 18, which after extending a short distance laterally extends upwardly through the main cistern until it branches on? at a convenient point below the frost line, as indicated at 20 in Fig. 1.

The entrance end of the discharge pipe 18 is, in effect, downward by reason of the presence of a cap 21 secured to the wall of the supplemental ciste in. This cap extends below the entrance end of the pipe 18. as indicated at 22, for the purpose of preventv ing foreign matter, such as chips or leaves,

from entering this discharge or suction pipe at times when the water level in the sub-cistern is about in line with such pipe. Such foreign matter, if drawn up into the pump connected with the pipe 18 is practically certain to lodge under the check valve and interfere with the operation of the pump. It will also tend to clog up the pipe 18.

In order to prevent the possibility of such or any foreign matter entering the pipe 18 by being drawn or sucked into under the lower edge of the cap when the water level is but little below such edge, 1 provide one or more perforations 2-3 in the cap to allow the inrush of air into the pipe 18, to destroy the action of the pump, at times when the water is approaching a level so low with respect to the cap as would permit the drawing in of any such foreign matter. Before that stage is reached air entering the perforations 23 will arrest the pumping action.

From the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings, it will be understood and appreciated that by my invention 1 am able to receive the water into the cistern with the usual rush and violence with which it enters, yet that I so-slow down the speed of movement of the water that when it reaches the cister proper itenters quietly and almost calmly so that it does not disturb the sediment which has collected at the bottom.

also be understood that I draw water from the inner or supplemental "n wit-inn which there is practically no "mient as the sediment lodges in the outer or main cistern where there is neither ma terial motion due to inflow or outflow. The sediment collecting, as it does, outside the inner vessel, makes the inner vessel the available place from which to draw oil the supply for use. The point of inflow from the outer to the inner vessel through the passages 15 which are elevated far enough above the bottom of the outer vessel to be above the line of accumulated sediment, is such that the water which so inflows is prac tic-ally tree of sediment.

Thus, the inner vessel is aplace where the rush of the incoming water is broken, as also a place where sediment does not collect and hence is the advantageous place from which to draw off the water for use.

I would have it understood that I regard myself as being the first to discover and create this system of managing water in the process of filling cisterns.

Another advantage in the use of my dual or two-chamber cistern is that the water being kept clean will not clog up filters when they are used to clarify and eliminate from the wate the fine particles which are in suspension. lVhat might be called dirt or mud being eliminated from the supply line, the water goes clear and free of such foreign matter to the filters.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with an outer or main cistern connected with the water supply, of an inner or supplemental cistern having a receiving opening, a connection bet-ween said opening and the cistern supply pipe, an overflow edge or margin, and an outlet opening for the delivery of the water to the place of use.

2. The combination, with an outer or main cistern, of an inner or supplemental cistern,

3. In a cistern, an inner or supplemental vessel having intake passages in its side walls through which the Water passes from the outer to this inner vessel, and provided with skirts which extend below the entrance of said passages into said inner vessel.

4. The combination, with an outer cistern, of an inner or supplemental cistern comprising a vessel having its walls curved opposite the supply pipe entrance, having a deflecting surface at its opposite side and having also skirted inflow passages, a supply pipe connected with said inner vessel and a discharge pipe also connected therewith, said pipes adapted, respectively, todeliver water into and to carry water from said vessel.

5. The-combination,- with an outer or main cistern of an 1nner or supplemental cisternhaving a connection with the water supply, an overflowfcommunication"with the main cistern, an outlet for-the delivery of the wa ter to the place of use positioned in the sup plemental cistern, and a cap extending over said outlet and below the same.

6. The combination, with an outer or main cistern of an inner or supplemental cistern having a connection with the water supply, an overflow communication with the main cistern, an outlet for the delivery ofthe water to the place of use positioned in the supplemental cistern, and a cap extended over said outlet and provided with one or more perforations opposite the outlet.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOHN P. PROBST. 

